Mary Shelley was born on August 30th, 1797. She was born to William Godwin, a philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first radical feminists. Both of her parents were extremely active in the revolutionary movements of the late eighteenth century. Her father was a minister but later became an atheist and turned his attention to ethics and politics. When he met Wollstonecraft, he was taken by her intelligence and commitment to women's rights. Mary Wollstonecraft worked as as seamstress, lady's companion and director of a girls' school and as a governess. As an underpaid working woman, it was then when she realized and recognized that women were underrepresented in Parliament. She argued that " women are human creatures, who, in common with men, are placed on this earth to unfold their faculties" (Smith 2)

Getting back to Mary Shelley, she grew up in a very loving environment even in spite of the fact that her mother died September 10, 1797, ten days after her birth. For four years he raised Mary and her half sister, Fanny with the help of friends and extended family. Although he felt he was doing the best he could, he still felt as though he wasn't giving them proper education. As a result of his feeling, he married Mary Jane

Clairmont on December 12, 1801 creating a blended family consisting of William, Mary Jane, Mary, Fanny, Mary Jane's children Charles and Jane(Claire), and later William, Mary's half brother. The older children were required to perform household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes. She also learned cooking, needlepoint, and how to throw a successful dinner party from her new stepmother.

Her father gradually learned the art of proper schooling. He taught the children mythology, ancient and English history. It was around this time that her father and stepmother moved the family to a commercial part of London where they owned and operated M.J Godwin and Co., a publishing and book selling firm. After the move, William Godwin began to teach Mary Latin and the sciences as well as training her in such research skills as making chronologies. However, Mary has been quoted as saying "he had faults as a teacher...too much temper...to little sympathy...too grave and severe. (Smith 6) This caused a rift in not only her relationship with her father but with Mary Jane as well. She was known for wandering off to her mother grave for hours at a time.

By the age of fifteen, she had masters for French, Italian, and drawing, and contributed to the family business when she had the time. During the summer of 1812 began to visit a family friend in Scotland. Very quickly she became accustomed to the freedom that she received and ending up staying in Scotland for ten months, and then again the next year. When she returned from Scotland after the second visit, she was introduced to one of her fathers newest pupils Percy Bysshe Shelley. An admirer of her father, after a short time, he and his wife found themselves at dinner with the Godwins many evenings. Subsequently, he found himself in love with Mary, and on July 18, 1814 they eloped to France taking Claire with them, and shaming both sets of parents. Because of this, Mary was constantly surrounded in controversy and scandal.

After a move to Windsor, her son William was born on the 24th of January. Four months later, the growing family moved to Italy for the summer. It was then when, in a ghost story competition with Percy, Claire's lover Lord Byron and Byrons friend, Mary began to write Frankenstein. After they returned to England is when the trouble started. Mary's half sister Fanny committed suicide on October 16th and then three months later Percy's former wife Harriet drowned herself also killing the unborn child she was carrying. Mary and Percy then had a proper wedding which they hoped would help them gain custody of Harriet's children. The wedding also helped them reconcile with Mary's father although it came at a great cost. (Gerson 211) For the remainder of their marriage, Godwin was constantly in financial trouble, and asking for money.

Godwins relentless demands for money were a great inconvenience and affected her writings not once but twice. (Gerson 213) In 1820, Mary sent Mathilda to him for comments, and he kept and then sold it to reap it's rewards. Then again in 1821, Godwin was again in financial difficulties and she authorized him to sell Valperga, but he postponed publication in hopes of getting a higher price for the copyright.

Through this whole time, her relationship with her husband had been fine. He was very supportive and encouraged her to continue her writing career. (Sunstein 353) Nevertheless, in August of 1821, rumors began flying about the relationship between Percy and Claire. She became very depressed not only because of the rumors, but over the death of her son William and a miscarriage in 1822. (Sunstein 431) Finally, the last straw being the death of Percy himself along with their friend Edward Williams on July 8 1822.

In the months and years following these tragedies, Mary Shelley devoted her life to her son and her writing career. She published Percy's Posthumous Poems in 1824 and her novel The Last

Man in 1826. By this time, her book Frankenstein had been adapted into a stage play, and her father was encouraging her to release a reissue for his own gain no doubt. From 1828 to 1830 she wrote eight short stories and five article in addition to the novel Perkin Warbeck. And by 1835 she had written eight short stories for high paying annuals, three reviews, revised and reissued Frankenstein, written her novel Lodore, published several original and translated poems, and completed the first of four volumes of literary biography for Lardener's Cabinet Cyclopedia. In 1839, she wrote her final novel and completed the Cabinet Cyclopedia as well as two editions of Percy Shelley's complete poetry.

In 1848, her son married Jane St. John and she spent the remainder of her life living with them. On February 1, 1851 after a week of unconsciousness, Mary Godwin Shelley died of unknown causes.

What makes Shelly so important and unique is that she was a woman who lived through a period of turbulent change in England. It moved from being predominantly agricultural to industrial economy. The way she lived her life showed that she was indifferent to the norms about the way women should behave.

More biographies [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Página creada y actualizada por grupo "mmm".
Para cualquier cambio, sugerencia,etc. contactar con: laucli@uv.es
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
Universitat de València Press
Creada: 03/11/2008 Última Actualización: 03/11/2008